Past Imperfect
by Ladyhawke Legend
Summary: Archer, Malcolm, and Hoshi must help tomb raider Lara Croft keep the Triangle of Light out of the hands of Future Guy and his agents. By traveling back in time will they save the future or will they end up as relics of the past? Updated! Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any thing Star Trek or Tomb Raider. I'm not making any money off of this. Rights go to CBS/Paramount, Core Design, and Eidos Interactive. No copyright infringement is meant. This is all just for fun.**

**A/N: A Star Trek: Enterprise/Tomb Raider crossover has been in my head for over a year now. I finally got brave enough and determined enough to do something with it. It took some time and effort to make the crossover plausible, you know, help the audience 'suspend their disbelief', but I think that I finally found a way to do that. I hope people like and enjoy it. I do have much of it planned out, but I would love feedback to know if I should continue, so please ****read and review****. Thanks!!**

**Again, a big expression of appreciation goes to LadyRainbow for beta reading for me. She does a great job!! **

**Chapter 1**

He felt his fingers slip again. He was going to fall; he knew he couldn't hang on any longer. Below him, the chasm seemed deep and wide, like the mouth of some foul demon from hell trying to swallow him whole. He desperately grabbed at the cliff face, trying to cling to its rough surface. It was so dark below; the abyss appeared to go on and on. Once he lost his grip, he would be lost in its terrible embrace and then he would be dead. The jagged sides and the sharp points somewhere at the bottom would surely end his life.

This was not how he picture he would die; not in some hole in the middle of the jungle. Maybe it would be in battle against a hostile alien species, maybe a transporter accident, a shuttle pod crash, or simply slipping away in his sleep, but not here, not in the past. He had so many more things he wanted to do; explore distance worlds, continue to meet new species, add to the new coalition Earth was building with other space-faring cultures, to marry and have children, to make it to the rank of Admiral, and so much more. None of that would come to pass now. In a few moments, he would meet his Maker.

White, hot fear raced through him, snaking down around his spine to encompass his rapidly beating heart. His breath was ragged, his muscles straining with all their might to keep him in place. He heard his pulse in his ears, ringing loudly. Sweat glisten on his skin, soaked his clothing, dampened his hair, and stung his eyes. He normally wasn't claustrophobic, but he felt like everything was closing in around him, squeezing him too tightly. He could taste the bile from his stomach in his mouth. Panic was about all he had left in him.

_Please don't let it end like this, please!_ his mind screamed. He had only been trying to do the right thing; to help protect the past and the future. How he had ended up in this mess, he had no idea. He seemed to always walk right into trouble; he wished he would've learned his lesson before now. But who else was there to do it? They had come to him for help. They couldn't do it on their own. They had needed him; why he didn't know, but he couldn't turn his back on them and do nothing. Even though they had gotten him into trouble before, he couldn't refuse to help; it was who he was.

Suddenly, his hands lost their grip completely; he couldn't hold on any longer. He raked the rough rock with his nails, trying to gain purchase. The coarse surface broke his nails and bit at his finger tips, causing them to tear and bleed. Time seemed to stop for a heartbeat as full on fear and adrenaline surged through his body. Then he was falling into the horribly grinning mouth of the hell far beneath him.

Strong, yet soft fingers found one of his wrists and snagged him. They tightened painfully around it and held on. Pain lanced through his entire arm as if someone had snapped it completely off his body, but he stopped falling. His shoulder had exploded in pure agony and was probably dislocated, but he wasn't dead, not yet anyway. Another hand found his arm and helped the first one hold him in place. A feminine face appeared over the cliff face above him.

"There you are, Jon," the face's owner half shouted, voice heavy and labored with breath. "We thought we'd lost you." A smile appeared through the strained looked the face was giving him. It was her. She had seen him go over and had found a way to grab him.

"Me too," he managed to wheeze out, his body trembling from hanging down the side of the cliff by one arm. He was beyond grateful.

"Give me your other hand and I'll work on pulling you up," she told him, her voice calm with reassurance.

Somehow he found the will and strength to stretch his other hand up closer to where she could grab it. She briefly released one hand that was holding his left wrist and latched onto his right hand as he reached for her. She adjusted her grip and then threw her body backward to help pull him back up the side of the cliff. He tried to help by using his feet to push up the side of the rock face. Finally, after a lot of grunting, groaning, and effort, she got him up onto safer ground.

He collapsed on top of her as she had gone completely to the ground on her back to pull him up. They were both breathing hard from their exertions. She was sweating as badly as he was and she was covered in dirt and mud. Her black tank top and black, tight spandex-like pants, and calf high military grade boots were caked in it. Her utility belt and thigh holsters, with their 9mm Heckler and Koch UPS MATCH, semi-automatic pistols in them, dug into his ribs. Her small and compact backpack was squished underneath her back.

Their eyes met and he felt a different, more pleasant sensation rush through him. She was a very attractive woman, even covered in filth and armed to the teeth. He reached down and moved a stray piece of brown hair that had come loose from her long braid out of her eyes, using his uninjured arm. She smiled at him and actually laughed at his kind gesture; it was a rich and sweet sound.

"You sure know how to show a lady a good time, Captain Archer," she quipped, her high class British accent now more apparent than before. "Are you all right?"

Archer smiled back at her, liking her laugh as it washed over him; he knew she didn't laugh that often. "I am now, Lady Croft. Thanks for the lift up." His left arm was a throbbing torture, but he ignored it for the moment.

"It was my pleasure," she replied a little huskily; it faded quickly, however. "I think I dislocated your shoulder. I can tell by the way you're holding it. I can help you with that too, but it might hurt like a bloody bugger."

He grimaced at her suggestion, but knew that the shoulder had to be put back into place. There was no Sickbay go to and no Dr. Phlox to fix it for him here. "It _already_ hurts like 'a bloody bugger'", he quoted her with a faint smile at her terminology; it was so British. "Go ahead and pop it back in," he told her resignedly.

In one swift motion, she slid out from under him, grabbing his upper arm and neck as she came up into a sitting position. She applied the right amount of pressure and torque to wrench his shoulder back into its socket as she pulled up and pushed in his arm roughly from behind. Archer cried out and swore he saw spots before his eyes. The pain was excruciating, but his shoulder was fixed. Tears spilled down his cheeks.

"Sorry, Jon," she said with sincerity. "The pain will lessen in a minute, just breathe deeply and let it pass."

He let himself fall into her again as he recovered from the blinding anguish. To his surprise, Croft allowed him to rest in her arms for a moment, his head on her shoulder, her hands rubbing small, soothing circles on his back. Then she returned to business. "We'd better find the others and go after West. He can't have gotten far."

"You mean, Silik?" he asked turning serious. "Yeah, he's got the first half of the triangle and that isn't a good thing."

"Oh, I'm going to get it back," she informed him boldly. "Have no doubt about that."

* * *

**Two Days Earlier**

Ensign Hoshi Sato had just finished her nightly exercise routine in the gym and was heading back to her quarters to shower and go to bed. It had been a long day. First Contact with the Bellaxians was going smoothly, but it was still a strain on the _Enterprise's_ Communications Officer and brilliant linguist. They were a noble race, and for once it was nice to not have someone shooting at them. Their species reminded Hoshi of what a fish would be like if it grew arms and legs and could talk. The Bellaxians even had gill slits in their throats and could breathe under the water when they so desired; otherwise, they used the two sets of lungs they had to breathe the oxygen in their planet's atmosphere. They had been very curious about the Human explorers that had come seeking peaceful contact. Their world was eighty percent water with beautiful green islands dotting all over the planet's surface.

She stepped into the turbolift to go from C deck down to E deck. As she stood, humming a cheery tune, she enjoyed the quiet noise of the lift. When the lift stopped, she went to step out of it and into the corridor of E deck. Instead, she stepped out into an outdoor classroom or amphitheater. It was night time and very humid. The seats were all lined up nice and straight. The night was still and silent. She thought she smelled the heady perfume of triple pikake and laelias flowers. Hoshi realized she was back in Brazil, where she had taught languages before she got assigned aboard _Enterprise_. How had she gone from the ship to Brazil like that? For a moment she thought she would panic, thinking she was having another episode where she was vanishing from the sight of her crewmates.

Then a voice drew her attention. "Good evening, Ensign Sato. It's nice to see you again."

Hoshi scanned the room with her eyes for the source of the voice. She saw a man sitting on a bench not far from her. He had on a weird, ribbed, black leather suit. Hoshi finally recognized him. "Daniels?" she questioned.

"I'm pleased you remembered me, Hoshi," Daniels said kindly. "How have you been?" he then asked.

"Fine," she started to answer and then she stopped. "Hey, wait a minute, where am I and what do you want now?" she demanded a little angry; anger was better than fear. "I thought Captain Archer told you to never bother us again."

Daniels winced at her words. "He did, Hoshi, but we need his help again," he said wearily and a little forlornly. "And to answer your other question, we're in Brazil, the night before Jonathan comes to talk you into joining the crew of the _Enterprise_."

"Oh," Hoshi said, not really knowing what to say. Then she found her voice again, "Why are you talking to me then? Why give me a heart attack, huh?"

Daniels cleared his throat uncomfortably and got up off the long bench. "Because I'm hoping you can convince Jonathan to speak with me again," he said walking up to her. "I thought that maybe you could soften the blow and talk him into at least hearing me out."

Hoshi stared at Daniels like he had two heads. "You want me to approach Captain Archer for you?" she queried incredulously. "Why would I do that for you? You and your time traveling friends have caused us nothing but grief. Why should we help you again?" She crossed her arms over her chest as she spoke.

"Because if you don't the Suliban's benefactor with get his hands on an object that will allow him to control all of time. He will be free to make any changes to history he wants to, and we won't be able to stop him. It will give him total power over the timeline. We can't let him get this object into his possession. He could change everything. None of us may exist if he succeeds," Daniels said in a rush.

"Why can't you or some other temporal agent do it?" Hoshi demanded. "Why do you need our help? You're the experts on time travel, not us."

Daniels sighed. "He has all our people so busy chasing his agents throughout almost every time era imaginable, causing little changes here and there. He apparently has numerous species working for him in all different time eras, like the Suliban work for him here in the twenty-second century. His reach through time has grown considerably. We have to keep sending our agents to stop his people before the little changes become big changes. He's making us expend all of our people and resources to distract us and prevent us from stopping his main incursion into the timeline; the one that will change everything if we don't stop it. I'm using up valuable resources as we speak by appearing to you."

Again Hoshi, the master communicator, was at a loss for words. Daniels went on when she just gaped at him. "Your captain and crew have gone back in the past several times, successfully without causing any problems and fixing the timeline where needed. We trust him and have confidence that your captain can stop the Suliban's benefactor from dominating time itself. If he's stopped this time, it should be for good."

"And you want me to persuade Captain Archer to let you recruit him, and possibly his crew, as temporal agents?" she asked for clarification.

"Just for one mission. Please, Hoshi, he'll listen to you," Daniels pleaded with her, taking one of her hands in his. "You are the one person he wouldn't refuse. You'd know just what to say and even keep him from becoming angry with me. Please, Hoshi Sato, do this for me." He kissed her hand tenderly.

Daniels' eyes were so sincere and his need for help so raw that she couldn't say no to him. His words and his demeanor squarely hit her sympathy buttons. Besides, if Future Guy was making a big play to dominate all of time, then they had to do something. "Okay, Daniels, I'll try to get the Captain to talk to you and give your proposal serious consideration, but I can't promise anything."

"I have faith in your communication skills and your friendship with Jonathan," Daniels told her, hope back in his voice. "You'll convince him."

* * *

She hated going to the Captain's quarters this late at night. He was probably asleep and if anyone saw her it wouldn't look good, but she had to talk to him and now. Daniels was anxious for her to speak with her CO and get him to talk to the temporal agent. Hoshi knew the Captain would hit the roof about Daniels' request, but she had to at least try. All of time across the entire universe depended upon it, or so Daniels had said.

Hoshi quickly buzzed Archer's door. There was a pause and some shuffling, then she heard him say, "Come in!"

The young Japanese woman hit the door release and it slid open. Her captain was sitting at his desk in navy blue sweat pants and a matching T-shirt looking over something on his personal viewing screen. Porthos, Archer's faithful beagle, was lying in the middle of the Captain's bed, and his tail instantly started wagging at her entrance.

"Sorry to bother you this late, sir, but I needed to talk to you," she blurted out right away, stepping into the room and letting the door slide shut behind her.

"It's no bother, Hoshi," he replied kindly, turning in his chair to face her. "I'm still up and ready to be done with this Captain's log anyway. What's on you're mind?"

From his posture and body language, Hoshi could tell Archer's mood was positive, but he was really tired. She really didn't want to dump Daniels on him right now, but she knew she had to. "Will you hear me out completely before you react to what I have to say?" she asked him after a long pause. She was going to be strong about this and not back down.

This question seemed to surprise the Captain and he appeared very curious. "Sure. Go ahead."

"I just received a visit from our friend, Crewman Daniels," Hoshi said not beating around the bush.

Archer's jaw dropped and then clenched. Hoshi watched his muscles tighten and his eyes narrow. "He was told to never bother us again. What in the hell did he want? Why'd he come to you?"

"I thought you were going to hear me out before you reacted, sir," Hoshi quietly reminded him.

His posture relaxed again. "I'm sorry. I did agree to listen to you. Please continue," the Captain said with resignation in his voice trying to do as he had told Hoshi he would.

Hoshi quickly rehearsed everything Daniels had told her. She tried to use calming tones and patterns in her speech to help smooth over what and who she was talking about. Finally, she went for an appeal to the Captain's compassionate side. "I've never seen Daniels so desperate, Captain, so worn out looking. At least he's asking this time and not just throwing us to the wolves. Could you please just let him talk to you about it? You don't have to agree to anything, but you should really speak with him. He's coming to us for help. For some reason he trusts you and thinks you can fix his problem. Future Guy really could be a major threat this time."

The communications officer watched as almost every emotion a human being could display came across Archer's face. She knew he was warring internally with himself. Should or shouldn't he agree to meet with Daniels? What would happen if he did? Should he be willing to help the meddling temporal agent or brush him off? Hoshi could tell when her captain had made a decision.

"You really believe he's sincere about the Suliban's benefactor's plans and he's not trying to put one over on us, Hoshi?" he reluctantly asked.

Knowing that Archer trusted her instincts, she answered him honestly. "Yes, I do believe he's sincere. I think he's in real trouble and see us as his only way to counter this potentially disastrous event."

"All right, when he contacts you again, tell him….," Archer started to say, but didn't get to finish.

"See, Hoshi, that was a piece of cake for you," Daniels said suddenly appearing in the room, and then the room changed to that of the Brazilian outdoor classroom once again.

Both Hoshi and Archer started at Daniels' unexpected appearance and their change in location. It was evening again in Brazil and a light breeze caressed their skin and ruffled their hair. The air was heavy with moisture and so the breeze felt good.

"Daniels!" the Captain exclaimed with ire. "What in the hell's going on? I thought we were done with all this Temporal Cold War crap. You told me when Vosk was defeated that things would be just fine."

"Sorry, Captain, but time is short and privacy is a must," Daniels quickly explained. "The Suliban's benefactor has already made his incursion into Earth's early twenty-first century, and I don't want any of his agents to track me to you. For some reason he's still bent on controlling time travel and the past. Stopping Vosk didn't seem to have changed him or his nature any. This time he's searching for an ancient talisman known as 'Trestria Lux Lucis' in Latin, or more commonly known as the 'Triangle of Light'."

"And this talisman is the object that Hoshi was telling me about?" Archer asked interrupting, "The item that will allow Future Guy to dominate all of time?" The Captain's voice was full of doubt and disbelief. "How can one little artifact do that, and how is it that it's located on Earth in the past?"

Daniels made a visual effort to remain calm and patient; closing his eyes and taking a couple of deep breaths. "I know how it sounds, Jonathan," the temporal agent said switching to the more personal use of Archer's first name. "I was one of the last ones convinced of its actual existence and abilities. Until just recently, for me," he clarified, "a majority of our most revered historians thought that it was only a myth, a fancy fairy-tale. But we've learned that it does in fact exist or at least it did on Earth in the past, and 'Future Guy', as you so casually call him, has found it and wants it very badly. He has launched an almost fool-proof strategy to get it too."

"Why?" Archer found himself asking, despite his anger.

"It literally punches holes in the time-space continuum and allows its possessor to manipulate and mold time itself into whatever they see fit. Some believe the material comes from some kind of meteor that fell to Earth thousands of years ago. One story tells of an ancient society that destroyed itself because of this talisman. They were the ones who originally found the material and forged it into the Triangle of Light. Without being able to run up-close-and-personal scans on it, we don't know exactly what kind of material it's made of, or if it's even material from our reality, but it can warp time," Daniels tried to explain.

Hoshi now had a question. "So what convinced you that it was real, that it wasn't a fantasy?"

"There has been a family of historians that has refused to let go of the notion that the Triangle really existed," Daniels told them. "They have researched every possible avenue to prove their theories right. They have dogged and dogged my superiors to look into the truth of its existence as well. Finally, an old journal that has survived for over a thousand years surfaced and it came from a credible source, descendants of its original owner. It was a journal from the legendary Lady Lara Croft."

Hoshi's eyes went wide and she gasped audibly. This made Archer look at her. The name sounded vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it. "Sir, you do know who Daniels is talking about don't you? Malcolm would flip out if he was having this discussion with us. Lara Croft is one of his heroes, probably because she was British like him and liked explosives."

The Captain racked his brain to try and put the name in context. It was right there, waiting for recognition. "Help me out here, Hoshi," he requested.

"Oh, Captain, come on. You know who she is, just think about it for a moment," Hoshi replied trying to be encouraging. She knew it would hit him if he gave it enough thought.

Lara Croft, Lara Croft; Archer let the name roll around in his mind. Of course! She was considered the greatest adventurer of the twenty-first century. An archeologist who always seemed to be larger than life, hunting for precious pieces of Earth's past. She was thought to be a tomb raider by some, a grave robber, but others held her up as a hero, someone who had to act like the bad guys to keep the priceless treasures she went after out of the hands of those who really were the bad guys. Lieutenant Malcolm Reed had, on a few rare occasions, shared some of her tales with the senior staff. He was a huge fan. It was the one topic the Captain could get the ever private Lieutenant Reed to open up and talk about.

Croft's exploits had reached the status of myths and legends themselves. How much of what she did and accomplished was fact and how much was fiction Archer didn't know. She tended to be romanticized and her stories embellished over the years. Some might think she was another Hercules or Beowulf. She had lived in the time era right before the Eugenics Wars and the Third World War. Records of that time period had become spotty, fragmented, and a lot of information and data lost because of those wars. What the truth really was wasn't certain, so to find an actual journal would have been exciting to anyone in Archer's time period, let alone almost one thousand years later in Daniels'.

"And you're certain of the journal's origin and authenticity?" Hoshi was asking while the Captain had his epiphany.

"One hundred percent," Daniels assured her. "We're lucky to have it. We think the Suliban's benefactor may have at one time had it and that's how he found out about the Triangle. He tried to keep it hidden from us, but it was found despite his efforts. The journal details very bit of Croft's involvement the first time around in the artifact's unearthing."

"The first time around?" Archer questioned.

"Well, in the original history, before Future Guy decided to get involved and interfere," Daniels expounded. "Croft went after it, beat the bad guys she was up against at their own game, and she made the choice to destroy the Triangle. She knew that it would be too much for any one person to control, even a person of good intentions. It would be too dangerous to let anyone have, herself included, so for the greater good she destroyed it; blew it into a million pieces as I recall."

Lieutenant Reed would really have appreciated Croft's solution. "But now, that might not happen," Archer reasoned out. "Future Guy's agents may find a way to get the Triangle before she does, or let her go through all the work of finding it and then take it from her before she can destroy it. She'd never expect an attack from people from the future; it would be a complete ambush. The Suliban just can't go to Earth and try and find it first because that would draw too much attention from your people and any others monitoring the timeline. They're going to have to play along until she finds it and then take it, or play along with her enemies and help them acquire it."

Daniels was relieved that the Captain was now taking him seriously and working out the situation for himself. That was why he had come to Jonathan Archer. He was the one person Daniels knew he could count on when the chips were down.

"That's where you come in, Jonathan. I've been tasked with sending you back to the year 2001 to help Lady Croft recover and destroy the Triangle of Light, so the Suliban's benefactor can't have it. You can blend in with the humans of that time era and find a way to get yourself included in Lady Croft's expedition," Daniels informed them.

Archer had something else in mind, however. "You can't seriously expect me to do this by myself, all alone, do you? If I agree to do this at all, and that is a big if, I'm going to need some of my crew's help. I have no expertise in archeology, although I do have a passion for history."

"Jonathan, the more people that know about this mission, the higher the risk of detection of it there is by Future Guy's agents," Daniels objected. "Plus, the more people from the future that go back in time, the higher the risk of timeline contamination."

The Captain was about to argue, when Hoshi spoke up, coming to stand by her captain. "He's right, sir, but so are you. How about a compromise of sorts? Take Malcolm and myself with you. He's familiar with all things dealing with Lady Croft and her treasure hunting activities. I know the languages and cultures of Earth really well. Together, we could help this mission succeed. We'd be there to watch each other's backs too."

"That might work," Daniels conceded after a little thought. "Both Lieutenant Reed and Ensign Sato would be a great asset to you, Captain. And although sending the three of you back in time is risky, the number is low enough to still be acceptable."

Archer was dumbstruck for a moment. Hoshi was _volunteering_ for an away mission, a time-traveling away mission? The Captain was very proud of how far Hoshi had come in the last four or five years. She wasn't the timid little language teacher anymore, afraid of every warp vibration. She had grown in confidence and courage with each experience she had with exploring the unknown. They taught her, schooled her, and made her stronger. He would happily take Hoshi along with him. Her skills would be invaluable to him. Hoshi's seeing the need to insert herself in the mission was proving to him how important and necessary this time-travel mission was.

"This is all _if _we agree," Archer said meaningfully. "We haven't even asked Malcolm about doing this yet. And I won't go and risk my life and the lives of my crew unless we can concoct a very believable cover story for ourselves. I'm not going back in time to help Lady Croft if she won't believe we're there to help her."

"All excellent points, Jonathan," Daniels agreed. "Go talk to Lieutenant Reed and see what he says. Then I will help you come up with a plausible back story and identities for you. We can't have anyone from the early twenty-first century know who you really are, not even Lady Croft."

"Oh, I think Malcolm will jump at the chance to meet his long time idol," Hoshi commented wiggling her eyebrows. "Well, at least on the inside he would be jumping, but I'd doubt we'd see that kind of reaction on the outside," she added.

"He might even be able to devise a good, sound, strategical plan of action for you," Daniels threw in trying to win Archer over.

Signing with defeat and foreboding, Archer gave in. "All right, Hoshi, let's go get Malcolm. We can't allow Future Guy to dominate time. He might just get _Enterprise's_ mission scrapped and have the Klingons in the middle of a civil war, or worse. I, for one, don't like any of those scenarios."

TBC

**What's the verdict? Does anybody like it? Should I go on? Please let me know!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own any thing Star Trek or Tomb Raider. I'm not making any money off of this. Rights go to CBS/Paramount, Core Design, and Eidos Interactive. No copyright infringement is meant. This is all just for fun.**

**A/N: Malcolm now gets to join in on the fun time travel mission and his reaction is a little mixed about it. You will also learn something new about our favorite Brit that I just couldn't resist exploring. Please leave a few comments to let me know how I'm doing. Feedback keeps me feed; I'm not kidding. :) Have fun!! **

**Chapter 2**

Lieutenant Malcolm Reed was happily relaxing on his bunk rereading one of his favorite books, _Ulysses_ by James Joyce. It was a deep and thick book, written in the early twentieth-century, but it gave Malcolm great pleasure to plow through it for a third time. It was 1,264 pages long, divided into three main sections made up of eighteen episodes, and was written in a stream of consciousness style. It made reading it very difficult, but Malcolm liked difficult; he liked a challenge.

He was off duty and dressed casually in blue jeans and a red, sleeveless T-shirt. Malcolm was almost ready to call it a night and go to bed, but he wanted to get through the last part of episode three, _Proteus_. The young lieutenant was so focused on the events unraveling in his book that it took him a few seconds to realize his door chime was buzzing. Malcolm stayed on his bunk and looked over at the door to his quarters, giving it an annoyed glare. Who would want to see him this time of night? No message had been issued to indicate any type of emergency was in progress.

Trip Tucker, the _Enterprise's_ Chief Engineer, and a good friend of Malcolm's, might be going through another bout of insomnia and decide to stop by to see if Malcolm was up and if he would be interested in a chat or a journey to the mess hall for a late night snack. The first time Trip had done this, Malcolm had been highly irritated to be interrupted and have his privacy invaded. But since then, he had come to appreciate the Southerner's friendship, and it was nice to have someone to talk about his day with once in a while.

Malcolm Reed and Charles Tucker III were the complete opposites of each other. It was only by chance that they had become friends. Under most circumstances, Trip would be someone Malcolm would avoid, but a life threatening situation had changed all of that, and Reed now viewed Trip much differently. Almost dying together in a shuttlepod, out in the middle of space, tended to make people reevaluate themselves and each other.

Trip was a social butterfly, always upbeat, gregarious, and full of energy. Malcolm was more quiet, reserved, and private. Trip would tell someone his whole life story after just meeting them; Malcolm preferred to remain tight-lipped about himself, even with his own family. Where Trip was optimistic about everything, Malcolm considered himself more of a realist. But it was their very differences that had helped each other become friends. They had both grown to value the other's view; it helped to look at situations from someone else's perspective. It kept them both grounded and gave them a good outlet for stress.

Sighing, Malcolm got up with great effort to go answer his door. He fully expected to find Trip on the other side of the door, so when he beheld Hoshi and Captain Archer standing out in the hallway, he was totally surprised.

"It's about time, Malcolm," Hoshi huffed at him. Then she must have realized how late it was because she added in an apologetic tone, "Oh, we didn't wake you did we?"

Hoshi must have come from the gym because she was still in her workout clothes: black spandex shorts and a black and white sports top. Malcolm silently appreciated the sight of Hoshi's very female form. It wasn't often he got to see her looking so feminine; he liked it. Malcolm suddenly wondered where that stray thought had come from and shook himself mentally. Best not go there, especially with the Captain standing right next to her. Archer was also dressed in off duty attire Malcolm noted: navy blue sweats pants and matching T-shirt.

"You okay, Lieutenant?" the Captain asked when Malcolm failed to say anything in response to Hoshi.

"I'm fine, sir," Malcolm replied, recovering quickly, "just surprised by your visit."

"We're sorry to bother you this time of night, but we have a….problem…to discuss with you," Archer said slowly and carefully.

Hoshi decided to throw her two cents in. "And it really can't wait until morning."

Malcolm raised his eyebrows at them, a little confused, but curious. "All right, come on in you two."

"Thanks, Malcolm," Archer said graciously.

"Have a seat," Reed said trying to be hospitable. He indicated for Hoshi and the Captain to sit on his bunk by his viewing port, and he grabbed a chair from his work terminal. "So what's this all about? What has the ship's Communication Officer and the ship's Captain up this late at night? What couldn't wait until morning?" he asked after he had settled himself in his chair.

Archer sat down on Malcolm's bed with Hoshi a little to his right. "I'm afraid you won't like it, but we need your expertise," the Captain said cryptically.

"Earth's not under attack again is it?" Reed asked with worry in his voice. Nightmarish scenes of the Xindi attack on Earth two years ago haunted his vision.

"It is, but not in the way your probably thinking, Malcolm," Hoshi answered his question.

Now Reed was really confused. It must have shown on his face because the Captain gave him a small smile before launching into his explanation about Daniels and his assignment for them.

"Hoshi and I received another fun-filled visit from our old friend Daniels," Archer began, straight and to the point; Reed liked that about the man. The Captain paused a moment, letting each word sink in. "Apparently, Future Guy is at it again, and this time it's not only our history that's at stake, but possibly the entire universe itself."

Malcolm's eyes went wide. "Bloody hell," he whispered. "What's the slimy bastard planning this time?" he asked leaning forward in his chair. His expressions were so Malcolm and so British. Hoshi would have allowed herself to smile at him if the situation wasn't so serious.

Archer, with Hoshi's help, related to Reed all the things Daniels had told them about the Triangle of Light, its believed origins, Future Guy's desire to acquire it, and how he was going to try and get it. Then they launched into the information about the journal and Lara Croft, ending with the mission Daniels wanted to send the Captain on. Hoshi explained the reasons why Archer needed herself and Malcolm to go along with him. The Captain even found himself justifying their need to help Daniels because of the shortage of temporal agents.

Hoshi watched Malcolm closely, trying to discern his guarded reaction. She saw his spine straighten inch by inch as the conversation went on. The muscles in his legs, back, and arms tightened. He frowned deeply and his eyes became narrow slits. He seemed very angry to Hoshi; it was simmering just below his cool surface. When Croft and her journal were mentioned, Hoshi observed that a different type of tension crept into Malcolm. He began to fidget in his chair, just slightly. She saw his jaw clench and his check muscles twitch. He now seemed nervous and very uncomfortable; that was odd to Hoshi. Malcolm was a huge fan of Croft's; he loved to talk about her. Why was he suddenly skittish?

"So basically, Daniels wants you, me, and Hoshi to travel back in time and stop Future Guy and the Suliban from getting the Triangle of Light?" Malcolm asked for clarification. At Archer's nod he continued. "You're coming to me because you remembered my stories and comments about Croft I take it?" Again Archer nodded.

"It was my suggestion," Hoshi blurted out suddenly. "I'm sorry if that was out of bounds, Malcolm."

Malcolm gave her a reassuring grin. "It's okay. I'm actually kind of glad someone was actually listening to my ramblings."

"Have you heard about the Triangle of Light before, Malcolm?" the Captain asked. "Do you believe that it really existed and that Croft found it and destroyed it?"

Hoshi watch Malcolm collect himself and try not to show some type of emotion he was feeling. "I do know the story well, Captain," he admitted. "In fact, it has always been my favorite adventure of Lady Croft's," he said her name with reverence. "And, yes, I do believe the story really happened. It is typical Croft. It was a touch and go situation for her all the way. She barely reached it in time and kept it out of the hands of some truly wicked people. It wouldn't take much for Future Guy or his agents to tip the scales out of her favor."

"So you think it would be a good idea for us to help her out, huh?" Archer said trying not to smile at the excitement building in Reed's voice. He was working hard at controlling himself, looking reserved, but that was all a facade.

"I'd say so, yes, definitely," Malcolm answered. "We cannot let someone like Future Guy have the Triangle. It is too powerful for any one person or group of people to possess. Croft knew this and that's why she destroyed it. Its power is far too corrupting and far too dangerous to keep around."

"I see that Hoshi was right, you really are an expert on Croft and her exploits," Archer told him. "We really need your help to pull this off and succeed. I haven't fully agreed to do what Daniels wants us to do. If this makes you uncomfortable or is not something you really can bring yourself to do, I'll tell Daniels to shove it." Part of Archer wanted to do just that. Hoshi was grateful for the Captain's use of the word "we". He was making sure she was included.

Malcolm appreciated his captain's thoughtfulness towards him. This would not be easy for him; not at all, but not for the reasons Archer and Hoshi might think. He stood and walked over to the other side of his bunk to gaze out of the viewing port. This couldn't be happening. Malcolm's reality felt like it had shifted out of phase. It was almost too much to bear; it was way too personal.

He had never told his crewmates, not even Trip or Hoshi, the real reason he was such a Lara Croft fan; both from fear of their disbelief, and because it was something so personal and precious that he wanted to keep it to himself. It was also a family secret, thanks to Malcolm's stern and close-minded father, Stuart Reed.

Stuart had done everything he could to suppress and bury the fact that the Reed's of the twenty-second century were true-blood descendants of Lady Lara Croft. The prim and proper man had been disgusted and ashamed of this particular ancestor. He thought she was reckless, prideful, and flamboyant. Even though she was a Lady, the daughter of Lord Richard Croft, an English baron, she was no lady. She was not a role model a Reed should wish to emulate. She was a petty theft and a mercenary killer in Stuart's opinion. Malcolm's father had tried all he could to prevent his son from knowing anything about her. His plan backfired on him big time, however. By making her the "forbidden fruit" so to speak, he had only fueled Malcolm's desire to learn about her. By saying she was an off limits topic and a thing of mystery, he led his son into his eventual rebellion against him in all things.

The young lieutenant had spent many long nights researching her life and her adventures, studying Lady Croft in secret. Malcolm was drawn to her skill, intelligence, independence, courage, strength of will, resourcefulness, and her love of weapons, but it was because he knew the same blood ran in his veins as had run in hers that really thrilled him. He was part of her legacy, although several generations removed and through the mixing in of several other family lines. He could claim her as his; his ancestor, his family.

She was his hero, not only because she could kick ass and solve any mystery that was put in front of her, but also because she literally was a part of him and he of her. He had a connection to her, tiny though it may have been; it was enough to motivate him to join Starfleet and want to explore the vastness of space to have his own adventures just like hers. Her example of resilience, grace under pressure, and perseverance mingled with her daredevil fearlessness were real ideals he had been able to grab onto and tried to develop within himself. Where his father saw only a rogue attitude, Malcolm saw a true human being; the best of the breed.

Stuart had eventually found out about Malcolm's illegal studies, and Malcolm's punishment had been severe. He lost all privileges related to doing anything with family history for over three years, and he had to endure a couple of years at a British military school. Despite all of that, Malcolm's transgression had been well worth it. The things he had learned about his marvelous ancestor were mind blowing. He had still wanted to be like her; bold, heroic, insanely unafraid, and absolutely, tactically brilliant. Malcolm never fully understood his father's distaste for Lady Croft. Through her line, the Reeds could trace their line back to nobility, close advisors to Queen Elizabeth I. Stuart only saw the carefully crafted facade Croft had created for herself; the Tomb Raider. What was underneath all that was a noble spirit, a soul dedicated to the protection of humanity from itself.

Malcolm's father had wanted his son to join Britain's Royal Navy and follow in his father's and grandfather's footsteps. The Royal Navy never held enough excitement or adventure for Malcolm, not with the formation of Starfleet and its mission to explore space, the final frontier. Croft's blood sang to him and filled him with a deep desire to go out among the stars and into the unknown. Besides, Malcolm had an acute case of aquaphobia, fear of the water, or the fear of drowning in water. Space seemed a much more welcoming place than the sea for Malcolm, even though they were very similar in nature.

Needless to say, Stuart Reed flipped out over Malcolm's decision; well he flipped out as much as a repressed and self-restraining Reed could flip out. He refused to talk to Malcolm for months, and then when he did open his mouth again it was only to criticize and belittle Malcolm's choice. Malcolm had left to go to San Francisco to Starfleet Training without his father's blessing or support. When Malcolm had been chosen as _Enterprise's _Tactical and Armory Officer, he made no big announcement of it to his father and mother.

Now Malcolm was being given an opportunity to meet his ancestor and hero. It was a very intimidating prospect. It was extremely exciting, like waking up on Christmas Day to see that Santa had been very good to you that year, but it was also very frightening. The thought of actually meeting Lara Croft filled him with a deep apprehension and anxiety. Could he really do this? Did he really want to? Hell yes!

"Malcolm, are you okay?" Hoshi's sweet voice pulled him out of his trance. He had been completely still and silent for too long; he heard the worry and concern in her voice.

"Sorry, Hoshi, Sir," he apologized to his two guests. "I was just lost in thought for a moment. It's not every day you find out your hero's in trouble and needs _your_ help."

Archer chuckled lightly. "I hear you," he said. "It's your call, Malcolm. If you don't want to do this, I can still take Hoshi and maybe Trip with me. That is, if I agree to this madness at all."

"Oh, we have to agree, sir," Malcolm said quickly, turning around to face his captain. "And if anybody's going to go with you it's going to be me. It's just --," he stopped unable to finish his thought.

What if he was disappointed in the flesh and blood Lady Croft? He had held her up on a pedestal for so long, what if she didn't measure up? What if the stories were just that, stories? What if all the decisions Malcolm had made because of her, where based on something that was false? And what if Croft was disappointed in him? What if she thought him to be unworthy of her heritage? He knew Daniels would forbid him from telling her the truth about who he really was, but the idea that he could fall short in her eyes still deeply bothered him.

Malcolm understood that a greater good was at stake; he knew his captain understood this fact too, yet he was letting Malcolm choose and was not forcing him one way or another about what to do. The young lieutenant knew what the right thing to do was, and he knew he had to do it.

He took a deep, calming breathe, closing his eyes briefly before he spoke out loud what his heart was trying to tell him. "We can't let this being from the future get the Triangle, Captain, we just can't," he finally said.

"Agreed," was Archer's soft reply.

"You are all quite exceptional, you know that?" Daniels commented as he appeared by the door into Reed's quarters.

"Would you stop doing that!" Hoshi snapped, almost ending up in Archer's lap when she jumped from being startled.

Malcolm felt a pang of jealousy as he watched her. He wished she had sprung closer to him and not the Captain. Again, he wondered where a thought like that came from. He'd always like Hoshi; she was talented, sensitive to his needs for privacy, but always happy to see him and make him feel welcome, and she had developed a stronger backbone and pushed herself to overcome her fears and weaknesses. It was an honor to serve with someone as dedicated to their mission as Hoshi Sato was, and besides that, her delicate Asian features were beauty personified.

He remembered a conversation they had had during their first year serving together aboard _Enterprise_. Hoshi had only been trying to find out what his favorite food was for a birthday dinner that the Captain had wanted to give him. Malcolm had mistakenly thought that she was seeking to start a romantic relationship with him. At the time it had seemed preposterous and unwelcome, but now… a few years later…, it was a very appealing idea. He doubted Hoshi felt the same way, and so he did nothing, said nothing to her about his own feelings. He needed to find a way to express himself to her without scaring her away. Over the years she had become a trusted friend, and he didn't want to lose that connection with her.

"I'm sorry, Hoshi; it was not my intention to startle you," Daniels quickly apologized.

"Oh, yes it was," Archer snapped. "You love being melodramatic, Daniels. I take it you've been listening in this entire time?"

Daniels had enough sense to blush in embarrassment. "Yes, Jonathan. I'm only trying to save time. Our window of opportunity is slipping away. I needed to know the moment you agreed to go on this mission."

"I haven't agreed to anything, Daniels," Archer said as he stood and confronted the temporal agent. "Malcolm seems to think we should and so does Hoshi, but I'm not quite sold on the whole thing, yet."

"What do can I do to convince you how much I need your help?" Daniels was pleading again, his face pinched. "Do I have to get down on my hands and knees and beg you? I will if that's what it takes, Captain."

These words caused Archer to step back from Daniels and really look at him. The meddling temporal agent's appearance was very haggard. He had deep, dark circles under his eyes, his skin was pasty pale, and his eyes were bloodshot and hooded. The man looked like he had aged considerably since the last time the Captain had seen him. Maybe the weight of the universe's fate really was resting on the future man's shoulders. Jonathan Archer could not turn down such a humble and desperate plea for help. He might not like Daniels' methods, but his ends were for the greater good.

"Okay, Daniels, I get your point. You're in real trouble and need our help. You know I don't turn anyone who earnestly needs help away. We'll go on your little mission. Just make sure we get back in one piece, all right?" Archer said caving in.

The relief in Daniels was self-evident; his face brightened and his breathing resumed a normal pace. He must have been holding his breath in fear of being refused. "I really did have faith in you, Jonathan, I really did. You've come along way in getting over your grudges; first with the Vulcans and now with me. Thank you, and I will do everything in my power to get you back safely, but a lot of that will depend upon if you succeed or not."

"You need to tell us exactly what is going on, and what Future Guy is planning. We need as much information as possible if we're going to help Lady Croft," Malcolm told the temporal agent. Daniels' eyes met Malcolm's blue-gray ones, understanding and knowledge of the Croft-Reed connection there for the lieutenant, and only the lieutenant, to see.

"Of course," Daniels replied. "I'll brief you on everything we know, and I'm going to give you the Croft journal, but you need to make sure that it comes back with you. We can't lose it; it's too valuable. It must not fall back into Future Guy's hands, or any of his agents."

Hoshi, after recovering from her initial shock, now had a question. "So what is our cover story? How do we get close to Croft to actually help her?"

Daniels finally offered the young ensign a smile, and then he looked at Malcolm, his grin widening. "How do you feel about posing as an MI-6 agent working with an American NSA agent and his cultural and historical expert to stop the Illuminati from taking over the world?"

"That's bloody….brilliant!" Malcolm exclaimed, searching for the right word. At first he was going to say ridiculous, but the more he thought about it, the more he came to decide that it could work. MI-6 had approached Croft on many occasions to help defend Queen and Country. She might just believe they were seeking her cooperation once again.

"You mean we'd be posing as spies?" Archer asked flabbergasted. "And who or what is the Illuminati?"

Chuckling, Daniels answered the Captain's first question. "I see you know some of Earth's more colorful history, and yes, essentially, you will pose as counterterrorist or intelligence agents from your respective countries, except Hoshi. She will be a civilian expert called into lend a hand. I think Croft would respond to that better than having you all be posing as 'spies'."

"You haven't ever heard of the Illuminati, Captain?" Malcolm asked in all seriousness, interrupting the second half of Daniels' response. "A secret brotherhood foundered in the late eighteenth century on Earth, during the era of Enlightenment?"

"Yeah, their very name means 'enlightened ones' in Latin, or something similar to that. Its original members came from Bavaria, the southern part of Germany. They were an offshoot of the other Enlightenment era groups; adopting science, logic, and reason to explain how things in the universe worked, rather than religion and mystism," Hoshi put forth for her captain. "They took a darker turn, when they started infiltrating high positions in European governments and threatened to overthrow those governments and reshape them to their liking. Some conspiracy theorists thought their order survived into the twenty-first century where they became a shadow government, trying to eventually become powerful enough to rule the entire globe."

Malcolm jumped back in. "According to Croft's story, they did indeed exist, and they survived to go after the Triangle of Light. In fact, their symbol of the All Seeing Eye, like you've seen in Egyptian hieroglyphs or on the back of an old American dollar bill, was taken from the society or civilization that actually forged the Triangle of Light millennia before."

Archer's head was spinning with all the information being thrown at him. He had, of course, heard rumors, read a few stories in his time, about secret societies and their plots in Earth's colorful history, but to learn that one may have truly existed was a little frightening. Humans of the past seemed always hell bent on acquiring power and control. They were like a drug that humanity could not fully kick the addiction to; John Paxton and his Terra Prime group were modern examples of that fact. It was scary to think that people all over the world, in high political, economic, and social positions could have been part of that secret society, waiting to strike at a moment's notice. Who could you trust?

"So, this secret brotherhood was after the Triangle of Light in the original history, and now Future Guy is going to put his agents into the mix with them to try and get the device?" Archer asked.

"Yes, sir," Malcolm answered. "Croft barely got it before they did, and then destroyed it. One of the Illuminati members betrayed his leaders and killed most of them off to have the Triangle all to himself, so the main part of the Illuminati died with them, weakening that organization, and eventually extinguishing its flame," he added.

"They would be the perfect group for Future Guy to infiltrate," Daniels commented.

"How did Croft or the Illuminati know how to find the Triangle?" the Captain then asked.

Malcolm looked at Daniels. Daniels could tell that Malcolm Reed was just chomping at the bit to tell the tale. The temporal agent smiled lightly and nodded for Malcolm to go ahead. It might sound better to Archer to have the information come from one of his own people rather than him anyway.

"We know from basic astrophysics that the planets in our solar system periodically have their orbits align with each other." At Archer and Hoshi's acknowledgement, Malcolm went on. "A total and complete alignment of all nine planets that includes a solar eclipse viewed on Earth happens only once every five thousand years."

"They are spectacular events, I must say," Daniels said as an aside. When the three senior officers looked at him in astonishment, he shrugged and said, "Seeing extraordinary phenomenon is one of the perks of being a time traveler."

"As I was saying," Malcolm continued, throwing Daniels an irritated look, "that type of planetary alignment happens only once every five thousand years. I'm not sure why, but during such an event, it was prophesied that if two pieces of the Triangle of Light could be found before the pinnacle of one of those planetary alignments, that they could be united and its power to control time activated. It just so happened that in May of the year 2001 was one of those planetary alignments."

Daniels took over the explanation again for a minute. "The electromagnetic surges of all the gravitational forces from all the planets and the sun itself, radiates an unusual and unquantifiable energy source. The material the Triangle is made out of responds to that output of energy, and it's like switching a light on."

"Okay, that makes some sense," Archer commented, "but why was the Triangle in two pieces in the first place, and how did this Illuminati brotherhood know how to find them?"

"They had scholars studying it for generations," came Malcolm's answer. "Croft was able to find their locations because of information her father had complied and left for her to discover. If I remember correctly, the civilization that forged the Triangle realized a little too late the terrible power of the talisman, for it destroyed them, so those that were left split it into two pieces and hid them in the farthest reaches of the planet. I suppose they hoped someday that someone would come along who could wield the power of the Triangle for good, but that proved to be impossible."

"So that's why they didn't totally destroy it themselves to begin with," Archer summarized for himself.

Reed nodded his agreement. "Precisely, Captain," he said.

"At what point are you going to be sending us back?" Hoshi then asked nervously. She wanted to do this, to save the universe, but it still scared her to death.

"May 15, 2001," Daniels told her. "That was the day Croft discovered a hidden clock her father had entrusted her with, secretly, unknown even to Croft herself until she found it. It was really a key to unlock the two halves of the Triangle from their hiding places, and literally the key to uniting the two halves into a whole. It was also the start of the planetary alignments, beginning with Mercury, Venus, and Earth. "

"As I recall," Malcolm once more interrupted with his own information, "that was the anniversary of her father's disappearance as well – years earlier -; something that haunted her and caused her tremendous heartache. She adored him, and it was something she never quite got over."

"What about her mother?" Hoshi found herself asking.

"I think she died in a plane crash, years before that," Malcolm said. "Her father was truly her whole world, and he was lost to her." Even as he spoke, Malcolm felt a stab of his own heartache. He cared for his father, respected him, but he didn't look up to him the way Croft did her father. He wished for that kind of relationship within his own family; it was something he had never had.

Daniels tried to take control of the conversation again. "I want you to try and meet with Croft either right before she finds the clock or right after. Shortly after she found it, the Illuminati sent a small army to steal if from her. It might be nice if they didn't get their hands on it this time around."

"You want us to try and help her protect it?" Archer queried.

"Yes," Daniels told him, but then he added a warning. "We don't want to change too much. We should let events play out as much as possible the way that history meant for them to, but it would be nice to pad our odds a bit. Also, it is extremely important that Croft, especially, doesn't find out that you are from the future. The repercussions of that could be catastrophic. Do not, under any circumstances, let Croft or anyone else learn of your true identities. I can't stress that enough."

"Anything else we need to know?" the Captain said with a sigh.

"Just follow the events outlined in Croft's journal; they will be your best guide and your best advantage. You will know when and where everything is supposed to happen. Future Guy probably does too, since he did have the journal at one time, but that at least makes things more even. Do everything you can to keep the Triangle of Light out of the Suliban's, Future Guy's, and the Illuminati's hands. Make sure Croft gets to destroy it, and don't get yourselves killed in the process." With all that said, Daniels disappeared, and so did the three newly recruited temporal agents.

TBC

**Well, is the premise working so far? Just a few seconds of your time would be so lovely to give me your opinions. Please feed the hungry. :)**


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